Bob Marley, live at London’s Rainbow Theatre during a run to close out the Exodus Tour. June 4, 1977 (Photo: Adrian Boot; used with permission)
Bob Marley’s acclaimed Songs of Freedom: The Island Years has been reissued worldwide as 6-LP and 3-CD sets. The re-release is pegged to the legend’s ongoing 75th birthday celebration. Streamlined to the period of Marley’s emergence and stardom, with rare tracks on vinyl for the first time outside Jamaica, the collection arrived January 29, 2021, via Tuff Gong/UMe.
Both editions also include a booklet with rare photos, essays and track information.
Songs of Freedom: The Island Years
In addition, 12 limited-edition Marley vinyl LPs pressed exclusively at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, will be available on January 22. The Jamaican pressings include nine original studio albums, two original live albums, plus the world’s best-selling reggae album, Legend, all individually numbered along with a Tuff Gong stamp. The limited-edition albums were pressed at Tuff Gong’s newly refurbished vinyl pressing plant, which re-opened in summer 2020 and will have an annual capacity of 250,000 units.
Additionally, the long-awaited CD version of the iconic Complete Island Recordings LP box was released on December 4. The CD box set consists of 11 albums packaged in CD wallets, which are housed in a brushed silver clamshell box. The set includes all nine Bob Marley & the Wailers studio albums recorded for Island, plus two live albums, Live! and Babylon By Bus.
Related: Our Album Rewind of Bob Marley & the Wailers’ Live!
Marley, born February 6, 1945, is notable not only as the man who put reggae on the global map but, as a statesman in his native Jamaica, he famously brought together the country’s warring factions. He remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley’s official Facebook page has more than 70 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages. His iconic collection, Legend, holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard‘s Catalog Albums chart and remains the world’s best-selling reggae album. Marley’s accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001).
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